Archives for January 2013

Consumers seek nutrition advice from a variety of sources; according to participants in Pollock Communications’ recent survey of registered dietitians (RDs), the top three resources are dietitians, social media and smartphone apps.

For consumers, it’s likely that a combination of these three can help ensure success through a tailored mix of support, expertise and convenience.

A dietitian is credentialed in nutrition science and can offer an individualized eating plan to suit any dietary need.

Social media can offer support from friends, family or others working toward a similar goal.

For dietitians and weight loss programs, the three can work together to show consumers and fans that you can help them no matter where they learn or look for support. For example:

Dietitians can add to in-person sessions by Pinning recipe ideas, Tweeting advice and responding to followers, thereby proving expertise and gaining new clients.

Weight Watchers has in-person meetings, offers apps that track weight and calculate food values, and uses Facebook and Twitter to send words of encouragement to members.

Jenny Craig coordinates one-on-one consultations, has an app that helps people make smart choices at restaurants, and replies to Tweets with words of praise for members who share their successes.

As long as people are getting information from a reputable source, the key thing is that people are becoming more health-conscious, but if one or all these methods proves useful to an individual, that’s all the better.

Each year, new weight loss fads move in and out of favor. In 2013, it looks like the wheat belly or gluten-free diets and commercial diet programs will be top of mind for consumers, say America’s nutrition experts – registered dietitians (RDs). According to the annual Registered Dietitian Nutrition Trends survey conducted by Pollock Communications, over 200 RDs ranked the wheat belly or gluten-free as the most popular diet approach trending for consumers (42%) with commercial weight loss programs coming in as number 2 with 41% of the vote.

Just Because it’s a Trend, Doesn’t Mean it’s Right
Despite the popularity of the wheat belly diet (a plan that removes all wheat products from the diet) or gluten-free, it doesn’t mean that it’s a good weight loss choice. A recent article in Food Navigator USA quotes nutrition experts, Jenna A. Bell, PhD, RD, as saying, “dietitians recognize this as a fad and a trend for 2013 among consumers, but it’s not a recommended strategy for weight reduction.” While gluten-free is an important strategy for managing celiac disease, Dr. Bell adds that, “research does not support that a gluten-free diet is an effective way to reduce body weight.”

Food Navigator USA also sites evidence from the August 2012 Packaged Facts Consumer Survey saying that only 7% of respondents said that they were buying gluten-free products because a household member had celiac disease. Similar to what the RDs responded in the Pollock survey, consumers said that they bought gluten-free because it was “generally healthier” and used as a way to “manage their weight.”

In late 2012, Pollock Communications tapped their extensive network of registered dietitians (RDs) and asked them to weigh in on the top diet and nutrition trends for upcoming year. While low-carbohydrate diets and foregoing fat is passé, RDs report that natural and simple remains hot among the list of consumer trends. Last year, nearly half of the respondents said that this would be trendy in 2012 and in 2013, they predict it will remain the same – 51% said to watch for natural and simple with few ingredients.

But Does Fewer Mean Better?

The trend is to look at the number of ingredients may stem from the desire to find foods that are less processed. Because many foods that are “processed” are snacks packed with sodium, sugar and saturated fat, or void of valuable nutrients like vitamins and minerals, minimizing the number of ingredients on a nutrition label can be a healthy consideration. But as a rule, the trend for fewer ingredients can be flawed. For one, fewer ingredients does not guarantee that the food is healthier. Take the example of butter versus a vegetable oil based soft spread made without trans fat. Butter has few ingredients – Sweet Cream, Salt, Milk – it also has 7 grams of saturated fat per serving and 30 mg of cholesterol – both known to have detrimental heart health effects. And, it’s low in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat – the “good” fats that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends we choose in place of saturated fats. A vegetable oil based soft spread, on the other hand, has 1.0-2.5 grams of saturated fat, no cholesterol and is made up of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated-rich vegetable oils. The soft spread frequently contains preservatives and emulsifiers that help keep it more solid at room temperature and, add ingredients. The take home message – the number of ingredients won’t always tell you what’s better for your heart.

What Does this Mean for the Food Industry?

From an RD’s perspective, this means that consumers are watching and they care about what is in the food they consume. It means that unnecessary additives and ingredients may need to be reevaluated and a slimmer ingredient list may be less cost effective, but preferred by shoppers. That said, the food industry should not compromise health for a short ingredient list. Body weight and heart health remains paramount, even if it’s not topping the trends list for 2013.

Pollock Communications released its second annual survey results revealing the top diet trends for the year, and the media are covering this hot news story all across the nation! From UPI to CNBC to Food Navigator, everyone seems to be buzzing about what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to food trends in 2013.

Pollock surveyed its network of more than 200 of the nation’s leading registered dietitians to determine what food companies and consumers should be on the lookout for in the new year. Click on the below news links to see what made the list of 2013 Top Diet Trends: